A-Rod Grocery store seeks a new name

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Story highlights

Bodega owner is not related to New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez

That doesn't stop phone calls, questions, he says

A-Rod is protesting 211-game suspension from baseball

Store owner open to suggestions for new name

The name A-Rod seems to have tarnished not only baseball, but also bodegas.

Ricardo Rodriguez, 41, owns A-Rod Grocery, a family-run bodega in New York's Clinton Hills neighborhood, but he is searching for a new name for his shop.

"It's not that I've gotten complaints. People are just confused about the name," said Rodriguez, adding that customers and the press alike think that the store is directly affiliated with New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez.

Ricardo Rodriguez insists that there's no relation, but he says that doesn't stop the badgering, phone calls and constant chatter in his workplace about A-Rod's fall from grace.

This might not be the baseball player's biggest concern as he protests his 211-game suspension from Major League Baseball after an investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Rodriguez opened his grocery store 19 years ago. He changed the name 13 years ago to A-Rod Grocery to reflect his pride in his fellow Dominican's success when the young player signed with the Seattle Mariners.

"I used to look up to him," the owner said. Nowadays, he's unsure.

And what's the new name for the shop? Well, Rodriguez says he doesn't quite know yet since this has just reached a pinnacle in the past two weeks, but he says he's open to suggestions from customers and strangers alike.